AUDIENCE 🚀 SHOMA

[dropoffs]

Comments

[dropoffs]

Stolen? Just for kicks or was there something more to it...?

[ all that hard work. thebe's visor makes a :\ face over it as they give son a little ear scritch. ]

I'm glad Roboji was able to come along, at least... he seems like a pretty helpful friend to have...

[solesuccess]

[ he kind of stops like he's just realized he started saying something he actually did not want to talk about, frowning before shaking his head. ]

Doesn't matter. I wasn't even home when it got taken. [ there's. a lot of complications about what happened to robota even though he knows the exact story, but that's for another time.

anyway! he watches thebe scritch son on the head before glancing back at roboji. ]

He's been useful so far, yeah. I still have a few upgrades I want to make to him, but seems harder here without the right parts. [ ... ] Which is kind of one of the things I wanted to ask you. One of the others said you put in the weekly order for stuff that we ask for, right? Where's the stuff actually coming from?

[dropoffs]

Still sucks... sorry it happened. [ softer, arms folding now. ]

To answer your question, all over the ship. Since things are locked up though, we usually go manually for your personal requisitions.

[ disappointed ] If you're looking for hyperspecific parts for something, I don't think I can manage that.

[solesuccess]

[ he just waves it off. don't worry about, we don't talk about murderbot. ]

That's more what I was wondering was if it was all in storage somewhere or if you could custom order stuff. Does that mean you have access to everything on the ship already? No barriers?

[dropoffs]

[ uh huh. ]

The major gates are still down, but we can get through some of the service passages, though it's hard to take a lot at one time. We leave the bigger loads for those of us who are a little stronger.

[solesuccess]

That makes some sense. Easier to haul things when you have more space to cover. [ what's the size comparison of thebe to shoma, actually? ] Any word on when the major gates might be back up?

[dropoffs]

Well, opening them by the week seems to be working... I think we might have all of them by the very end of the tour if we keep this up.

[ size comparison hm. thebe is just wearing some ankle booties that don't add much height to them to begin with, so you could say shoma comes up to their chin? mouth? it's hard to say they're wearing a helmet so it's wobbles hand. ]

[solesuccess]

[ that's fair. me hoping this one also did not tower over him. but hum. ]

So basically "don't hold your breath" on getting them open before then. That's fine. As long as people can still get the stuff they need it'll make the job a little less annoying. [ which...a slight segue, and veering off of what he initially wanted to ask them. he will come back to it. ] A few of you have said you have personal reasons for continuing the tour with the Eudora crew. Does that include you?

[dropoffs]

[ well they definitely don't tower, so there's that! ]

Exactly. We're working as fast as we can around the clock, but there's a lot on this ship we have to run ourselves. In the meantime, we're here to courier stuff to you guys that we might have. Within reason.

[ they're not going to make you all work outside of delivery considering your circumstances. at the question, however, son mrrps because thebe has stopped petting his head. this is an outrage, but sorry son they are thinking. ]

Yeah.... yeah. Rent doesn't pay itself in capitalistic hell, y'know...? Never been to space, but... there's a first time for everything, right?

[solesuccess]

[ he looks down at son again. sorry kitty, there are important things to address! ]

...so it was really just about the money and going "yeah, why not?" That simple? What about the place you came from? Didn't you have stuff there you still needed to do or people?

[dropoffs]

[ there's a very particular kind of hunch that hits thebe's shoulders. they do not resume petting son. ]

There's more to it, but I don't think I want to talk about that.

So that's the simple answer. I need to survive somehow.

[solesuccess]

[ ...well. ]

Yeah, I get it. Mizuki told me the stipend we're supposedly getting from this is huge. If it's true, then...I can't really say no to that kind of money either. Sorry.

[dropoffs]

[ softly ]

That kind of money wouldn't just help me... I can think of a lot of other things it could do...

[ they sigh. ]

[solesuccess]

[ ... ]

Are there other people you're trying to take care of, too?

[dropoffs]

I know a lot of people back home...

[ rubbing at their side, just a little bit. ]

... I could do a lot of good... that would make me happy...

[solesuccess]

[ ...? ]

Usually doing something good helps. [ a pause. ] Is that what you're used to?

[dropoffs]

I like to think sometimes a good drink and some conversation can change your life...

[solesuccess]

I've heard that, but...you can imagine how easy it'd be to get into bars back home even if I wanted to. [ on account of looking 12. ] Were you actually a bartender back where you're from, or just a hobby?

[dropoffs]

[ a soft hum ]

Yeah. I was. Just kinda carried it over. Everyone needs a good drink sometimes.

[solesuccess]

You think it really helps? [ curious. ] Or is it like a placebo effect where the idea of drinking to relax is what relaxes you? That's...not a real question, I guess. Never mind. It's a pretty big jump from bartender to Chief Science Officer though.

[dropoffs]

I think people trust their bartenders like they trust their doctors or their priests with confessions.

[ a light fold of the arms, more amused than anything. ]

It's a jump, but I'm equipped to hop to it.

[solesuccess]

[ ...the slowest of blinks. ]

Rabbit puns, Thebe? [ he lifts his hands to the side of his head, index fingers wiggling like bunny ears. ] I'm not a religious person, and I don't trust doctors anymore, so...I'll take your word on that analogy.

[dropoffs]

Hey, I gotta get my kicks somewhere...

[ the ears wiggle in kind, a little chuckle. ]

Y'know, you'd think with both I'd cover my bases. But also don't blame you on that... stuff like who helps you take care of your body is kind of a big deal...

[solesuccess]

[ an uncomfortable shift of his weight from foot to foot follows that. ]

Exactly. So you'd think you could trust a doctor to actually take care of you and tell you the truth, but that's not always how it works. Guess it's about deciding what you can and can't believe is safe.

[dropoffs]

It's hard... when you're told that's the way but it isn't.

[ a stalling out and then softer, hesitant. ]

... Can we sit? It hurts to keep standing. But I wanna still talk with you. Sounds like you've really been through it, huh.